School girl in Panajachel, Guatemala, selling fabrics. She says "Why don't you buy my stuff?" I gave her a little Australian flag.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Antigua Guatemala is the place to go in the Western Highlands

Antigua was the original Spanish colonial capital of Guatemala but it was continually being wiped out by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions..... so the capital was shifted to the present location of Guatemala City (but still plenty of earthquakes). Antigua town remains surrounded by volcanoes which steam away dormant fashion and contribute to a fascinating landscape. It is the tourist centre for Guatemala, ranging from catering to the well-heeled tourist and backpackers, with accommodation to match all budgets.

Arco de Santa Catalina in Antigua

Two big attractions are the ready availability of Indian style handicrafts from shops and street vendors, and the huge numbers of Spanish Language Schools that cater for young visitors and oldies like me. I stayed for a week in a local home to brush up my Spanish and go to school again.

Street vendors are hard to resist when you are resting up at an outdoor restaurant or cafe. This little mite is fingering an Aussie flag I gave her. Soon her mate arrived wanting a flag too. One should always carry a stock of Aussie trinkets to give away. A most useful handicraft to buy are the woven bands or scarves which back home I wear as ties or cravats.

View across the Cenral Park and of Catedral Santiago, Antigua.

Antigua is the center of the jade industry for Central America. Valuable jadeite is mined locally and fashioned into exquisite jewellery. Replicas of Mayan and Aztec museum artifacts sell well. Here is a Mayan figure carved in black jade. more to come

The Chilean flag

How and where to catch trout in South America

Going to South America?

Argentina

Beautiful Lago Nahuel Haupi taken near Bariloche, the tourist hub of the Argentine Lake District

Argentina

Catamaran "El Condor" starts out on Lago Nahuel Haupi

Beagle Channel

Liasion with a fishing boat to get crabs and fresh fish.

Beagle Channel

Spider crabs for dinner

Tierra del Fuego

Allano and Ruth at Pto Williams yacht club bar

Beagle Channel

Exploring the hinterland

Club de Yates Micalvi

The yacht club at Puerto Williams is unique, not only for being the most southern one in the World. It is part of a pontoon consisting of a grounded freighter ship which has the upper structures converted to the club headquarters. The bridge and forward sections are now a bar and restaurant very popular with yacht crews, locals and tourists.

Puerto Williams

HQ of the yacht club

Ushuaia

Ushuaia skyline & Mte Olivia 1470 m.

Trilogy of Travel eBooks by Allano

Nicaragua

The macaws make good pets and watch birds.

Accommodation in Managua and Granada

Budget accommodation is plentiful in both the capital Managua and adjacent by the lake shore, Granada. Check the Lonely Planet guide book suggestions.Hostel World lists 6 hostels in Granada and 4 in Managua costing US $10 to $13 per night.

Granada is the more pleasant and safer place to stay. Scenic day tours leave Granada for Masaya artesania market, Volcan Masaya, pottery works at San Juan de Oriente, with lunch at Laguna de Apoya, a volcanic crater lake.

Plate Tectonics

Pacific Ocean to left. Nicaragua to the right

Granada

Taxi cabs for hire at Plaza Central, Granada

Puerto Montt to Chiloe

Only 1/2 hour by car ferry (transbordador)

Chiloe

Old steam engine at Castro

Ancud to Castro Railway

In the good old days a narrow gauge railway ran from Ancud to Castro until the line was destroyed by an earthquake in 1960. The German- made "locomotora" depicted above was said to have needed the help of passengers to push the train up the slightest of inclines.

Dalcahue near Castro

Chiloe Accommodation

Budget accommodation is plentiful on the island. Many family hospedajes are listed in guide books, like Lonely Planet, and are found by "word of mouth" .. talk to other backpackers. It is nice to find a hospedaje in the center of town.
In Castro in the palafito barrio (houses on stilts over the water) there is a new 8 room backpackers worth checking out. It's called Palafito Hostel with dorms, singles and doubles, con desayuno, at budget cost. See Backpackers Chile

Puerto Varas

Lago Llanquihue and Volcan Osorno

Accommodation in Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas is a tourist town with a wide spectrum of accommodation, ranging from five star hotels (5), to large backpackers (2) to numerous small family guest houses, or hospedajes. Hostels can be found from the website Hostel World and provide private rooms for US $20 to $45. Large backpackers, Casa Azul and Compass del Sur are listed with Backpackers Chileand offer economical accommodation ranging from $10 to $20 dorms to shared rooms with a buffet breakfast for $3.50. They are similar to a large South African backpackers and offer tours, excursions, Spanish classes, you name it and they'll provide it.

Most economical are the family guest houses or hospedajes costing $10 to $15 per person, and listed in guide books like Lonely Planet. A family may rent out to travelers a couple of rooms in a large family house. If you are lucky you may get to share their kitchen to cook meals and learn some Spanish for free at the same time. So you learn how a Chilean family operates. In Puerto Varas I have gone back and stayed at the same hospedaje three years in a row. (and with a different companera each time, which confused mama)

Cape Town for backpackers

Backpackers are very well accommodated in Cape Town. There are dozens of exciting backpackers to choose from. A little booklet called "Coast to Coast" lists them all, with details for booking. The same information is on the Internet for Southern Africa, just put in "Cape Town" for the region.

I shall not recommend any backpackers because that would be unfair and half the fun is finding a good one that suits you. Important factors in your choice are that the backpackers should have good Internet facilities, a good kitchen and dining area, a travel bureau office, a swimming pool, and be close to a popular restaurant, plus any more factors? Many backpackers have ALL these facilities and are converted mansions of old. Lucky you!

Cape Town

The Waterfront, Cape Town

Stellenbosch

Goat tower at one of the wineries

Garden Route Stopovers

George

Hermanus

Jeffreys Bay

Knysna

Mossel Bay

Natures Way

Oudshoorn

Plettenberg Bay

Swellendam

Wilderness

Cape Town

The start of the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth

Where to stay for backpackers

Backpackers are very well accommodated along the Garden Route. A little booklet called "Coast to Coast" lists them all, with details for booking. The same information is on the Internet for Southern Africa, just put in "Garden Route" for the region.

Rugged coastline of the Garden Route

Ostrich Industry

Ostriches produce leather and meat

Ostrich Industry

Ostrich farm near Oudtshoorn

Health Benefits of Owning a Dog

Besides getting daily exercise from walking your dog it has been found that dogs will boost your immune system by continued contact and licking. The difference between having a robust immune system and a delicate one can come from patting of dogs and allowing them to lick your hands. If you don't own a dog, then you can regularly "borrow" one of your friend's dog and make regular contact with it.